New visit by Moussa depends on Cairo talks – diplomats

 

Gloom in the wake of Amr Moussa”s latest failed attempt to end the political impasse in Lebanon faded slightly on Wednesday after reports that the Arab League chief might return yet again – just before the 16th scheduled parliamentary session to elect a new president, currently set for March 11.

 

Arab diplomatic sources  told the Central News Agency  that Moussa will be back in Beirut on March 9. The sources added, however, that Moussa”s return was highly dependent on what decisions Arab foreign ministers can adopt at a meeting in Cairo, also scheduled for March 9.

 

The meeting is expected to discuss Moussa”s latest report on the situation in Lebanon.

 

Moussa said late Tuesday he will visit Damascus next week for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad ahead of an upcoming Arab League summit scheduled for March 29-30 in the Syrian capital.

 

Moussa was quoted as telling As-Safir newspaper on Tuesday that Lebanon”s political crisis is becoming more complicated and “foreign influence over the struggle between the ruling coalition and the opposition is unprecedented.”

 

He did identify which countries were involved.

 

Moussa brokered two days of talks this week but failed to make progress toward resolving a conflict that continues to poison Arab ties ahead of the Damascus summit.

 

Arab League heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt have warned that the failure to elect a new president in Lebanon will put the summit at stake.

 

The Lebanese crisis and its impact on prospects for the Damascus meeting were also on the agenda in Riyadh on Wednesday as Saudi King Abdullah hosted talks with his Jordanian counterpart.

 

Former MP Fares Soueid, a member of the ruling March 14 Forces coalition, told The Daily Star Wednesday that the summit was a deadline for Syria, Iran, and their allies in Lebanon.
 

“Syria wants the summit to succeed and for this purpose it must facilitate the election of a new president in Lebanon,” he said. “If Syria does not deliver by this deadline, the parliamentary majority will start considering other options.”

 

Another March 14 stalwart, former President Amin Gemayel warned on Wednesday against any plans to leave the country without a president until the 2009 parliamentary elections.

 

Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud left office last November.

 

The feuding parties have agreed on electing General Michel Suleiman, head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, but are still at odds over the shape of the next government, the new electoral law, and other critical issues.

 

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in Paris told An-Nahar newspaper that France is seriously considering reviving its own efforts on Lebanon. The sources said France is discussing with its  European Union partners the possibility of a unified EU stance on the Lebanese crisis.

 

“France is convincing the EU of the need to put more pressure on Syria, forcing it to facilitate Lebanon”s presidential election,” the sources added.

 

The French efforts came after Prime Minister Fouad Siniora recently called on European states to unify their ranks on the Lebanese crisis. Earlier this month, Siniora visited Germany, Britain, and France.

 

On Wednesday, Siniora met US Charge d”Affaires Michele Sison and briefed her on the latest developments.

An expected meeting on Wednesday between Hizbullah officials and an official French delegation was cancelled.

The meeting was supposed to take place at 10 a.m., according to an earlier statement by Hizbullah.